In the work described in this thesis I studied how increases in nitrogen (N) inputs may affect plant community structure in boreal forest understorey vegetation. These phenomena were investigated in N fertilization experiments and along a national N deposition gradient. After five years of N additions, large changes in understorey vegetation composition were observed in the fertilization study. In plots that received 50 kg N ha'1 year"1 (N2), the abundance of the dominant species, Vaccinium myrtillus, decreased on average by 32 %. No decrease was observed in control plots during the same period. In contrast, the grass Deschampsia flexuosa responded positively to increased N input, being on average more than five times as abundant in the N2 treatments as in controls. Also an increase was seen in the incidence of disease caused by the parasitic fungus Valdensia heterodoxa on leaves of V. myrtillus following N additions. The parasite was on average nearly twice as abundant in N2 plots than in control plots. This could be explained by increased N concentrations in host plant tissue. Disease incidence also increased following experimental additions of glutamine to leaf surfaces of V. myrtillus, suggesting a causal connection between plant N concentration and performance of the fungus. The parasite also played a key role in the observed changes in understorey species composition. D. flexuosa was more abundant in patches in which V. myrtillus was severely affected by V heterodoxa. This suggests that V heterodoxa mediates the increased abundance of D. flexuosa following increased N additions. The fungus mediates changes in the composition of understorey vegetation mainly by increasing light availability via premature leaf loss of V. myrtillus. The incidence of disease due to the parasite was on average higher in large than in smaller N-treated plots, indicating that the response to N fertilization is spatially scale dependent. This shows that using small plot sizes in experiments that simulate changed environmental conditions may be problematic, as important interactions may be underestimated. Comparison of the occurrence of understorey species between regions with different rates of N deposition revealed that the occurrence of the two dwarf shrubs V. myrtillus and V. vitis- idaea was lower in regions with high N deposition compared to regions with low deposition. The opposite pattern was found for V heterodoxa. This is consistent with expectations from N fertilization experiments. For D. flexuosa no differences in occurrence were found between the different regions investigated. The effects on vegetation and mycorrhizal fungi observed following N additions were also found to be long lasting. Nine years after termination of the fertilization, no signs of recovery were detected, and nearly 50 years after termination characteristic signs of N fertilization were found among bryophytes and mycorrhizal fungi. This suggests that the time needed for re-establishment of the original biota following N-induced changes may be substantial. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2002, härtill 5 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

Thesis (M.S.B.E.)--University of South Florida, 2009. / Title from PDF of title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 108 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto antibacteriano y citotóxico in vitro de los extractos metanólicos de Rubus idaeus (Frambuesa), Vaccinium myrtillus (Arándano azul) y Fragaria ananassa (Fresa) sobre cepas de Streptococcus mutans (ATCC®25175) y Streptococcus sanguinis (ATCC®10556).  Métodos: Se preparó un extracto metanólico por cada fruto. Se realizaron 10 repeticiones para cada grupo de extracto en cada caso. Se utilizó Clorhexidina al 2% como control positivo. Las propiedades antibacterianas de cada extracto se determinaron mediante el método de difusión en pozo. La concentración mínima inhibitoria (CMI) fue determinada mediante el método de microdilución y la citotoxicidad se analizó mediante la prueba de reducción de MTT, utilizando una línea celular MDCK.  Resultados: El extracto metanólico de arándano azul (Vaccinium myrtillus) tuvo el mayor efecto antibacteriano con un resultado de 30.44 ± 5.72 mm frente a Streptococcus mutans y de 29.33 ± 6.13 mm frente a Streptococcus sanguinis. Los extractos metanólicos de frambuesa, arándano azul y fresa obtuvieron una concentración mínima inhibitoria (CMI) frente a Streptococcus mutans de 0.8 µg/ml, 1.6 µg/ml y 3.1 µg/ml respectivamente; y los extractos metanólicos de arándano azul y fresa frente a Streptococcus sanguinis obtuvieron 3.1 µg/ml y 12.5 µg/ml respectivamente. Los ensayos de viabilidad celular demostraron una baja citotoxicidad de los extractos a altas concentraciones. La viabilidad celular fue más alta para los extractos de Arándano azul y Fresa con 98.2%.  Conclusiones: Los hallazgos evidencian las propiedades antibacterianas de los extractos metanólicos de Rubus idaeus (Frambuesa), Vaccinium myrtillus (Arándano azul) y Fragaria ananassa (Fresa) frente a los microorganismos previamente mencionados. No se evidenció citotoxicidad de los extractos a altas concentraciones. / Objective: Evaluate the in vitro antibacterial and cytotoxic effect of Rubus idaeus (Raspberry), Vaccinium myrtillus (Blueberry) and Fragaria ananassa (Strawberry) methanolic extracts against Streptococcus mutans (ATCC®25175) and Streptococcus sanguinis (ATCC®10556) strains. Methods: A methanolic extract was prepared for each fruit. Ten independent samples were made for each group of extract. 2% Chlorhexidine was used as a positive control. Antibacterial activity of each methanolic extract was determined by the well diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was established by the microdilution method. Cytotoxicity was analyzed by the MTT reduction test, using a MDCK cell line. Results: The methanolic extract of blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) had the highest antibacterial effect with a result of 30.44 ± 5.72 mm against Streptococcus mutans and 29.33 ± 6.13 mm against Streptococcus sanguinis. The methanolic extracts of raspberry, blueberry and strawberry obtained a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against Streptococcus mutans of 0.8 µg/ml, 1.6 µg/ml and 3.1 µg/ml respectively; and the methanolic extracts of blueberry and strawberry against Streptococcus sanguinis obtained 3.1 µg/ml and 12.5 µg/ml respectively. Cell viability assays demonstrated low cytotoxicity of the methanolic extracts at very high concentrations. Cell viability for blueberry and strawberry methanolic extracts was the highest with 98.2%. Conclusions: The findings evidence the antibacterial properties of methanolic extracts of Rubus idaeus (Raspberry), Vaccinium myrtillus (Blueberry) and Fragaria ananassa (Strawberry) against the previously mentioned microorganisms. The methanolic extracts didn’t show cytotoxicity at high concentrations. / Tesis

Frozen, thawed and osmotically-dehydrated highbush (HB) (Vaccinium corymbosum) and rabbiteye (RB) (V. virgatum) blueberries were analyzed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to observe microstructural differences in their skin. Rabbiteye blueberries of both frozen, thawed and osmotically-dehydrated treatments, had thicker skins than highbush blueberries. Rabbiteye blueberries, collected from local farms, packed and blast frozen (PBF), had thinner skins than individually quick-frozen (IQF) blueberries. Washing berries prior to freezing had no effect on skin thickness. Sensory analysis of samples determined there were no differences (p > 0.05) between PBF and IQF methods and species with respect to skin intactness, grittiness, sweetness, and blueberry flavor. IQF berries obtained from one farm had tougher skin (p ≤ 0.05) than other berries regardless of treatment. RB were rated lower in juiciness and higher in grittiness than HB berries whereas LH berries were rated lower in shriveling and higher in skin intactness.

For centuries the wellbeing of rural communities has depended on the health and resilience of local food systems. Over the last century many factors have contributed to declines in the availability and use of important traditional foods. In this thesis I have used black huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum) as a case study through which I explore the varying roles humans play in influencing the health of a wild forest food. Black huckleberry is one of the most sought after wild berries in British Columbia (BC). Over the past few decades huckleberry pickers and forest managers have expressed concerns over the decreasing quality and availability of these berries. To understand the different roles humans play in the ecology of black huckleberry I interviewed 17 long-time huckleberry pickers and participated in berry picking trips – in the East Kootenay region of southeastern BC. I also reviewed the academic literature on huckleberry ecology. I found that huckleberry pickers have a deep knowledge of factors affecting the health of huckleberry patches. They identify both shifting social-economic and ecological conditions in their local forests as intrinsically linked with declining huckleberry availability and health. In contrast, the scientific literature primarily focuses on ecological conditions and forest management practices, ignoring or downplaying the relationship of berry pickers to huckleberry ecology and overall quality. There are significant cultural differences between the berry pickers’ and the scientists’ views of the factors impacting the health of the berry patch. I argue that an effective approach to addressing the problem of declining quality and availability must include the valuable insights berry pickers have on how social-ecological factors affect berry health. / Graduate

Central to the issue of harvest feasibility on the outer BC coast (CWHvh) is the question of whether sites, once harvested, can be regenerated, and whether the time period for replacement and subsequent growth is economically and environmentally acceptable. Since low productivity sites have not been harvested in the past, there is a lack of data to answer this question. We tried to provide an answer by assessing regeneration following natural disturbances. Small scale gap disturbances are the norm within old-growth stands. If regeneration is not a problem in gaps, then we have some evidence that regeneration should not be a problem upon implementation of our management practices. The objectives of this study were: (1) to develop baseline information on the mechanisms and the patterns of regeneration across a sequence of forest types; (2) to assess regeneration success with respect to productivity; and (3) to estimate future growth and productivity.

Berry ripening in lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) is influenced by developmental, physiological and climatic factors resulting in a heterogenous mix of maturities at harvest. This study characterizes the physico-chemical changes which occur during fruit ontogeny and links ripening patterns to micoclimate. Individual clones in five commercial fiels were followed in the 2006 and 2007 growing seasons. Phenolic acids, flavonols, and flavan-3-ols decreased and anthocyanins increased with maturity. Peak maturity consistently occurred at 1200 accumulated growing degree days (GDD). There was a sharp decline in fruit retention at the end of the growing season suggesting a date after which harvested yield declines but no consistent pattern was detected between years or fields.The consistency of GDD accumulation in relation to ripening pattern suggests GDDs can be used as a predictive ripening index. The physico-chemical nature of ripe berries indicates ripe berries could be harvested earlier than is currently the practice.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Alnarp : Sveriges lantbruksuniv. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

As a species domesticated only in the last century, agricultural cranberry plants (Vaccinium macrocarpon) remain little removed from their wild relatives. Thus, it is a potential model species for studies of the earliest stages of domestication; however, there is little available quantitative information on its wild population biology and ecology. As such information is vital to studies of the ecological changes occurring during domestication, the purpose of this study was to consolidate the relevant knowledge available and conduct a preliminary search for patterns in the invertebrate communities of wild bogs. The alpha diversity was found to be greater than the overall (gamma diversity), which is likely a result of the metric used and the fact that there was minimal overlap in rare species between bogs. In addition, alpha diversity was found to be significantly negatively correlated with bog age. Two pairs of species were found to be correlated with each other, Blunt-nosed (Limotettix vaccinia (Van Duzee)) and Sharp-nosed leafhopper (Scaphytopius sp.), along with fleabeetle (Sysena frontalis (F.)) and firebeetle (Cryptocephalus incertus (Oliv.). In addition, it was found that spiders are significantly more common in western bogs, while firebeetle is significantly more common in eastern bogs. However, this may be indicative of a correlation with bog age rather than a true correlation with geographic location. More work is needed to determine the true dynamics driving these findings, so that the information could eventually be used to improve the efficacy and decrease the environmental impact of pest management on agricultural bogs.

L'exploitation des sables bitumineux en Alberta couvre un territoire de plus de 140 800 km2 dans la forêt boréale. Pour atteindre les gisements d'hydrocarbures, cette exploitation nécessite la coupe à blanc de la végétation ainsi que le déblaiement du mort-terrain d'une profondeur d'environ 50 mètres. Après l'extraction des sables bitumineux, ceux-ci doivent être traités pour en extraire le pétrole et les procédés exigent l'utilisation de produits toxiques. Les rejets sableux et aqueux générés par cette extraction sont remis en place et étant donné leur forte concentration en sels et leur pH alcalin, ces rejets limitent l'établissement naturel de la végétation. Parmi les peuplements forestiers, les ericacées occupent une place prédominante auprès des conifères (épinettes noires, épinettes blanches, pins gris, sapins baumiers et mélèzes laricins) et des arbres feuillus (bouleaux et peupliers). Pour permettre la recolonisation d'arbustes tels que le bleuet sur ces sites perturbés, cette étude propose l'inoculation des semis avec des champignons mycorhiziens éricoïdes résistants aux stress salins et aux hydrocarbures afin d'accroître leur tolérance à ces mêmes stress. La sélection in vitro de champignons éricoïdes tolérants aux stress salins (NaCl, Na₂S0₄, CaC1₂ et CaS0₄) et aux hydrocarbures (pétrole brute et eau de rejet CT) fut effectuée en boîtes de Petri. Étant donné la grande tolérance de ces champignons (Gymnascella dankaliensis, Phialocephala fortinii, Hymenoscyphus sp., Meliniomyces variabilis, Myxotrichum setosum et Pseudogymnoascus roseus ) en conditions in vitro, une expérience in vivo fut entreprise afin d'évaluer la tolérance aux stress salins (NaCl) et d'hydrocarbures (pétrole brut et eau de rejet CT) des plants de bleuet inoculés avec ces mêmes champignons. Dû à un manque de mycorhization des plants de bleuet, aucune conclusion n'a pu en être tirée. Les raisons de cet échec seront abordées dans la discussion.